Multilateral Diplomacy Analysis

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As aforementioned, in the 21st century, the international system has suffered profound changes: In the era of globalization where interdependence and international peace and order are given great attention, there are global issues that require the joint efforts of all global actors in order to solve them. In these circumstances, bilateral diplomacy becomes obsolete while multilateral diplomacy seems to be an appropriate instrument for addressing the processes of solving these global problems and of assuring global governance. First of all, multilateral diplomacy can be defined as “the practice of involving more than two nations or parties in achieving diplomatic solutions to supranational problems” (Mahbubani, 2013). A more profound analysis …show more content…

Multilateral diplomacy is a way of preventing unilateralism and hegemonic aspirations of the most powerful states, meaning that this form of diplomatic activity encompasses the requests and interests of all of the attending agents. A second benefit of this form of diplomacy is coalition-building. In this aspect, some of the best examples are the United Nations or the European Union, where states can form coalitions based on their geographic, economic and political commonalities in order to promote their interests. Furthermore, multilateral diplomacy is also argued to be more efficient in solving global challenges, such as environmental issues, crimes against humanity, human rights and international peace and security (Dayang, …show more content…

Now, diplomats are compelled to collaborate and negotiate with a variety of non-governmental agents, such as TNCs and civil society organizations. Additionally, due to the disruption of the division between the national and the global, and the increasing influence of public opinion, they must necessarily deal with domestic and foreign publics. In this regard, L. Richard argues that a new diplomatic function has arisen, that is, the role as integrator. As we have seen, globalization has given contemporary diplomacy a multiplayer character. However, as the number of player augments, the number of possible inconsistencies and disagreements also increase. This can be highly prejudicial to the progress of a state’s national interest as it permits other agents to profit from domestic conflicts. In order to prevent this situation, diplomats have to serve as integrators of their state’s presence in foreign land and to guarantee that the policies and agreements between different domestic entities are conducted in a coherent

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